The Adventures of Peggy and Mama

I was lucky enough to have my mom and one of her best friends, Peggy visit me in the Dominican Republic this past week. I had not seen my mother for over 9 months. In preparation for her and Peggy to visit my site I had intensively cleaned my house, the kids and I had made a walkway and a garden to my front door, I had gone to the campo salon to wash my hair, and I arrived at the airport exit the morning of June 9th. I grew anxious as I waited to see my visitors’ faces peak through the glass doors and it seemed like forever until finally I saw my mother’s beautiful face and excited wave. I surprised myself by shedding a few tears as I ran to her arms. Even though when I went to the College of Wooster I maybe have gone 6th months without seeing her, this stretch seemed like a long time and it was so great to be by her side again. I feel like I had so much to catch up with her and Peggy. C.S. also accompanied me picking up these lovely ladies, which was nice to have someone there to make sure we were still on track and not too distracted in our reunion.

Following the grand reunion we all stuck our suitcases (I was impressed with how well they had packed) and ourselves into a taxi and proceeded to a beach suburb of Santo Domingo, Juan Dolio. We had a treat in store for the next couple of days. We checked into an all-inclusive hotel and spend the evening by the beach and pool, filling our bellies with delicious food- many treats I had not tasted since arriving in country. During our stay at the all-inclusive resort we had running water, comfortable beds, and all of the food we could eat, the swim-up bar also wasn’t too bad. We swam in the pool, dipped in the ocean, bartered on the beach, and just relaxed. My mom and Peggy got their first experience of Dominican bartering which resulted in the buying of the signature blue Dominican stone, Larimar, necklaces and sun hats. Following our time at the resort we walked across the highway to catch a gua-gua (small Dominican busses). We all squished into this bus, standing at first and eventually as people left the bus, having room to sit next to friendly Dominican children and adults. We stayed on the bus until the last stop and then was kindly led to where cabs could pick us up and drive us to the bus station. As we waited by the street corner in the sun, city vendors came up to us trying to sell us anything from phone chargers to coconuts. Finally, a bus came along to take our troop, now short a C.S. to the city of San Juan. Once arriving in San Juan we got off of the bus and filled our bellies with vegetable empanadas, covered in ketchup, mayo, and oregano. We then explored a little bit of this city closest to my site. My mom generously bought me a small refridgerator, opening up my ability to eat fresh veggies at site! We then called three motorcycles, piled on our suitcases, a fridge, and ourselves amongst these motorcycles and took the half an hour ride up to Tierra Prieta. When arriving at my house it was just beginning to rain so we sat at my neighbor, Daniella’s colmado. My mother and Peggy soon became the biggest fans of Daniella, rightfully so. After visiting a little bit with my neighbors and translating in Spanish we went to my house and got ready for an early bedtime. The first night at site my guests got to experience my makeshift shower which dispensed water by filling up an upside-down plastic bottle. They experienced the lovely company of the household mice and the animals causing problems just out the window. They were so patient and positive even though I knew at times the site was less comfortable than they had expected.

The first full day at site we filled it to the brim. We woke up and had a cup of coffee and then went to my neighbors’ house to fetch water with the donkey. The first well was dry so we went to the next one and my mom and Peggy both were able to fill up the plastic galloons with water. Following getting water the children led us down the hill to the mango trees where we picked mangos straight from the tree and bit into these deliciously fresh fruits and naked babies ran about and my little friends tried to give us over 30 mangos. We then took a short rest in plastic chairs again at Daniella’s house, her husband brought us cokes and earlier she brought us crackers and coffee, just being an amazing neighbor. Following our break we then walked around the entire community of Tierra Prieta for about an hour, a little exhausting, definitely sweaty, and definitely pinking our skin a little past comfort. Following the tiring walk we went to my Dona’s house to have a delicious lunch. We also got to hold some babies and visit my house sisters that lived nearby. Following the lunch we went into the fields to see some cows and banana trees. We then went back to my house and prepared for the high blood pressure talk we were about to give.

The talk went great. Peggy gave great concise information about blood pressure and it was so nice having an expert there to answer questions my community members had. One question that the whole room grew silent for was one of my favorite Dona’s asked, “How did Caroline appear when you got here?”. My community was so interested in making sure that I was comfortable and happy. My mom nearly tearing up told me to translate that she wanted to thank them for taking care of me so incredibly well. My mom and Peggy then took blood pressures of my community members as I handed out a snack. Then with amazing excitement and courage, I thought, Peggy and my mom wanted to go learn how to dance bachata and merengue. So, we all went to one of my Dona’s houses and my mom, Peggy, and I all had a partner to dance with. Later they reported, that was a hard workout, I’m exhausted! It is a lot of work and especially with all of the excitement they brought to the dancing. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time. My community members also loved to see them dance and though they would have loved to keep the lovely ladies dancing until the wee hours of the morning we said we had to get back and headed back to my house to make dinner and prepare to head out to Santo Domingo the next day.

The whole day my community members kept telling my mom, in Spanish of course, “What you are going to leave tomorrow?! You should stay much longer, for like a month.” If only they could have stayed for a month. Even though I would have loved to spend more time with them I think it was a perfect amount of time for a trip. Living in my house wasn’t the most comfortable and I we managed to see so much in the few days that we had together that they saw mostly everything! We spend the day in a nice hotel next to the Conde and they were able to see Christopher Columbus’s old house and the oldest church in the Americas. We were able to see the oceanfront and stop in some tourist stores. We also stopped in the chocolate museum, which gave great samples and taught us the process of making chocolate.

Sadly, the next day they left and I was left to wait for my friends, Margaret and Kirsten to arrive two days later, not giving me any time to be sad that they were gone, which was great. All I could do was get excited for the next thing, but I was nostalgic for the constant positive reinforcement Peggy and my mom gave me when they were visiting. It seemed like every other sentence they made me feel like the queen of the world, which was so kind of them and could probably hold me through my next 16 months of service!

When I eventually got back to site, every person in the community was asking if my mother got back to the US okay and if she had fun. “Of course”, I would respond. “My mother keeps saying how much she loved your community, how nice the people are, and how beautiful it was”. I tell them, “She wants to come back soon and the next time she is going to stay forever, I am not letting her go back”. In total agreement for this plan, my community members are already planning for the next time my mother comes to visit.